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I have an ATT S5 (SM-G900A), completely stock, unrooted, updated to the latest 5.0 OTA update. My requirements for my phone are that it be able to pass Airwatch checks and that it be able to be encrypted (Personal device used at work). Some background first:
Last time I tried to play around with rooting, other mods, and whatnot was on my ATT S3 (I think I747?) and I discovered that an unspecified combination of rooting, installing a custom loader (CWM in my case) and installing a custom mod (Cyanogenmod at the time) made my phone unable to encrypt. At the time I was not required to use Airwatch, but encryption was required for my phone to connect to work, so I gave up on the whole lot.
I have now discovered that ATT, in their infinite wisdom, has replaced the S Voice drive mode with their own "ATT Drive Mode", and it's been verified they went so far as to remove the related APKs from the phone entirely. For those unaware, S Voice Drive mode is an feature of S Voice that (when turned on) reads out all callers and text messages, and then verbally prompts you for actions; reply, answer, ignore, etc. It allows fully hands free functionality. ATT Drive Mode, on the other hand, automatically kicks in whenever speeds of 20 MPH are detected (even if you're a passenger), rejects all calls and texts excluding a user-defined 5 person list, and essentially makes your phone useless anytime you're in a car. The goal is to "reduce texting and distracted driving", but as I'm on-call as part of my job and need to at least be aware of texts that come in within 10 minutes of receipt, it actually makes my drive much more dangerous. ATT Drive mode is a good idea for teens, perhaps, but i'm not a teen.
This brings me to my question: What are my options?
--Does rooting break my ability to encrypt? I know airwatch will flag, but I'm thinking there's a possibility of being able to root, put a custom loader on my phone, and then restore stock with that custom loader, whereupon I can try to install the drive mode APK...which leads me to my next question:
--Does having a custom loader (like safestrap or CWM or whatever is in use nowadays) break my ability to encrypt?
--Does anyone know of a way to install the S Voice drive mode in the G900A? I tried searching, but the only references involved being rooted, or ended with something vague like "download a stock rom and find the apk using root explorer" as the solution (which is vague to me because I don't know which stock rom to use, what apk to look for, and last time I used root explorer on my s3, it needed root...)
Honestly, the ideal solution would be something like the stock rom from the international version that would run on my ATT version...but I don't know if such a thing exists or is possible. I don't mind Samsung's cruft, but I do dislike ATT's lobotomizing of my phone to push their own little product that treats me like a kid. I know that I am less safe as a driver without the S Voice drive mode than I was with it.
I take it I have no options? And that no one knows how rooting affects encryption?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
sheaiden said:
I take it I have no options? And that no one knows how rooting affects encryption?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app
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Click to collapse
I will make it easy for you. Since you took the 5.0 OTA update rooting is not possible anymore. Also there is no way to downgrade to KitKat which was rootable. Sorry. Not much you can do until someone finds a way to root 5.0. If you find the S Voice Drive app, you can side load it and see if it works.
Waiting4MyAndroid said:
I will make it easy for you. Since you took the 5.0 OTA update rooting is not possible anymore. Also there is no way to downgrade to KitKat which was rootable. Sorry. Not much you can do until someone finds a way to root 5.0. If you find the S Voice Drive app, you can side load it and see if it works.
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Click to collapse
Actually, while I greatly appreciate the fact that you took the time to reply (seriously! at least you took the time!), this is neither easy nor related to the questions I asked. If you look at my post, I'm not asking "how can I root", I'm asking three rather different questions:
--Does rooting break my ability to encrypt? I know airwatch will flag, but I'm thinking there's a possibility of being able to root, put a custom loader on my phone, and then restore stock with that custom loader, whereupon I can try to install the drive mode APK...which leads me to my next question:
--Does having a custom loader (like safestrap or CWM or whatever is in use nowadays) break my ability to encrypt?
--Does anyone know of a way to install the S Voice drive mode in the G900A? I tried searching, but the only references involved being rooted, or ended with something vague like "download a stock rom and find the apk using root explorer" as the solution (which is vague to me because I don't know which stock rom to use, what apk to look for, and last time I used root explorer on my s3, it needed root...)
In fact, I am unable to remain rooted (Airwatch; it's part of the post title), and the whole point and thrust of my question lies in the fact that I am looking to find out what affects encryption and what options I have as far as getting S Voice Drive mode on my phone while staying Airwatch compliant (not rooted). In addition, "if you can find the s voice drive app" is part of the problem too, as evidenced by the third question I asked above; I don't know where to find said app.
Does anyone know anything regarding what I was actually asking?
Everything that you want to do requires ROOT! Safstrap needs root, CWM will brick you phone since the bootloader is locked. Again, there is no way as of now to root the S5 with 5.0 att OTA.
Here is the link to download the GS4 S Voice app. You can try and side load it,
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oe7i2g81iuhjv38/S-Voice_Android_phone_J.apk?dl=0
Waiting4MyAndroid said:
Everything that you want to do requires ROOT! Safstrap needs root, CWM will brick you phone since the bootloader is locked. Again, there is no way as of now to root the S5 with 5.0 att OTA.
Here is the link to download the GS4 S Voice app. You can try and side load it,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, I'll start with that sideloading, and test it out. Thanks! As far as the rest, I suppose that does clarify some things (that I admittedly already knew), so I do appreciate it, but it still does leave the answers to the other questions. I can infer, of course, that the answer to whether having a custom bootloader on the Galaxy S5 breaks encryption will be dependent on whether root breaks the encryption, since as you pointed out custom bootloaders need root to install, but the fantasy I entertained for a little while was rooting when there's a method (hope springs eternal, so I'm hoping it will eventually be possible), installing a custom bootloader so I can do things like backups and sideload, getting the proper apk's installed for the drive app, and then unrooting it so I can connect it via airwatch to my work's network. Perhaps I should have marked this as a solidly theoretical question, since as you said, there currently exists no root. I just want to know, with the unique way that Samsung implemented Knox and the encryption on the S5, what will break encryption and what won't?
Of course, there is a side question brought up by all this...how possible is it to load another firmware on my phone? as in, use Odin to put the tmobile image on my phone. That is likely a bad example, since I'm fairly certain there are actual hardware differences between the ATT and the tmobile models, but the concept still stands. At what level are the hardware configurations different between phone companies?
sheaiden said:
Awesome, I'll start with that sideloading, and test it out. Thanks! As far as the rest, I suppose that does clarify some things (that I admittedly already knew), so I do appreciate it, but it still does leave the answers to the other questions. I can infer, of course, that the answer to whether having a custom bootloader on the Galaxy S5 breaks encryption will be dependent on whether root breaks the encryption, since as you pointed out custom bootloaders need root to install, but the fantasy I entertained for a little while was rooting when there's a method (hope springs eternal, so I'm hoping it will eventually be possible), installing a custom bootloader so I can do things like backups and sideload, getting the proper apk's installed for the drive app, and then unrooting it so I can connect it via airwatch to my work's network. Perhaps I should have marked this as a solidly theoretical question, since as you said, there currently exists no root. I just want to know, with the unique way that Samsung implemented Knox and the encryption on the S5, what will break encryption and what won't?
Of course, there is a side question brought up by all this...how possible is it to load another firmware on my phone? as in, use Odin to put the tmobile image on my phone. That is likely a bad example, since I'm fairly certain there are actual hardware differences between the ATT and the tmobile models, but the concept still stands. At what level are the hardware configurations different between phone companies?
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Click to collapse
You will not be able to change your bootloader period... At this point the locked bootloader is unbreakable. That leads to your next question about tmobile and that's a no as well due to the locked down bootloader.
Even with root you won't be able to do anything you've suggested due to the locked bootloader.
OPOfreak said:
You will not be able to change your bootloader period... At this point the locked bootloader is unbreakable. That leads to your next question about tmobile and that's a no as well due to the locked down bootloader.
Even with root you won't be able to do anything you've suggested due to the locked bootloader.
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Click to collapse
Interesting. I had been under the impression that I had seen people referring to installing clockworkmod or some similar thing on an S5, but I think I may be getting caught up in terminology; those are recoveries, aren't they? not bootloaders? Or perhaps people were posting about the other S5s with unlocked bootloaders. 15 different versions of S5, and I get stuck with the most apple-like of all the carriers....(in the sense of "you take what we give you and don't play with it!")
So, assuming I don't manage to get it installed via the link Waiting4MyAndroid was kind enough to post, I think that rules out anything other than the method of:
--wait for a root method to be established for the new OTA
--root, install the drive apk
--unroot, so I can encrypt and pass airwatch
Does anyone know if the old method of rooting broke encryption? and whether encryption was able to be performed after unrooting again?
Edit: Attempted to Sideload. Sadly, it is telling me "App not installed" (other sideloads do work; it's not the unknown sources setting). I'm thinking either the apk is marked for s4, and it's not compatible, or it's trying to overwrite files from the established svoice system, and that's not allowed. I suppose if someone has the drive apks from a tmobile S5 image or some such thing (same model, different carrier), then I could try again, but unfortunately this apk doesn't work. Thanks for the attempt, Waiting4MyAndroid!
Ok, so my old Nexus 6 fell 40' down a pipe chase while I was soldering some 4" copper water mains at work. Needless to say it was destroyed.
Got the replacement phone from insurance, went to plug it in to the computer to unlock and root it, but the computer won't recognize it, even though it had no problem recognizing the old phone. I checked, and device manager says unknown device with the little yellow triangle on it.
Android sdk tools are installed, as are the latest Google drivers.
I followed the instructions in the All-In-One thread for getting the computer to recognize the device, but it doesn't seem to be working.
Should I uninstall the sdk tools and the drivers, and redo them all?
Or does anyone else have any other suggestions?
Thanks.
the Nexus Root Toolkit can help you set up drivers, I'd give that a shot.
i was always told to not use toolkits...
i went ahead and deleted both the sdk and the google drivers, and reinstalled them, and everything is working now. unlocked and got twrp back, making a backup now, then on to root.
any idea if we can get regular root on mmb29v? i don't think i want systemless root... or do i? is there a link that i can read to learn the difference between the two and why one is better than the other?
People on this site recommend not using NRT for *rooting*, but NRT is more than just a rooting tool. It's a fantastically-well-programmed kit which helps with all parts of the process - as you've just discovered yourself (or did you not use NRT?). I've questioned (what I perceive to be) the kneejerk antagonism towards toolkits, but I think that the more experienced members recognise and admit that toolkits have their place once people take the time and trouble to understand what the toolkits are doing so that when they go wrong people don't plague the forums with questions that have been answered dozens of times already.
Yes, you certainly do want systemless root. It makes things like Google Pay (or whatever it's called - I wouldn't touch it myself) work, and it potentially makes OTA upgrades work. There is no benefit that I know of that would make system root better than systemless, though I'm just an uninformed end-user of other people's expertise...
(P.S. As an aside, unrelated to this query, can I ask generally that people don't respond including the entire original message unless the thread is so fantastically busy that the reply would make no sense? I wade through dozens of posts which repeat again and again the post I've just read directly above the reply. It's a waste of space, processing power and my time to have to look for the reply following the 50 lines of repeated comment above it. If you're responding to a specific point, copy and paste that particular point into your reply, not the entire 200 lines... You get me...?)
no, i didn't use nrt. i did the fastboot flash of the oem unlock and recovery.
as for the systemless root helping with ota, i had systemless root on my old nexus 6 and it wouldn't allow me to do ota's. i also don't use google pay.
it also seems easier to flash custom rom's when you have system root as opposed to systemless root, but maybe i am wrong?
Yes, I think that even Chainfire accepts that his systemless root won't work with OTAs unless you use the built-in unroot function before trying the upgrade. I mentioned it only because I was rooted with v2.68 and the N preview installed regardless, which surprised me. I dont think that the same happy event occurs with ordinary security OTAs.
I don't believe installing a custom ROM is affected in any way by the root method, since you lose it anyway.
And I'm sure you've gladdened many hearts tonight with your comment "i didn't use nrt. i did the fastboot flash of the oem unlock and recovery."...
i know for installing purenexus, there is a difference between system root and systemless root. nathanchance gives a description for updating purenexus with systemless root, but not for installing it fresh.
Hi,
How do I just root my OnePlus 3T? I want to keep everything the same but just be able to have root to install adblock.
Model - A3000
Oxygen - 4.0.3
Android - 7.0
Rob94 said:
Hi,
How do I just root my OnePlus 3T? I want to keep everything the same but just be able to have root to install adblock.
Model - A3000
Oxygen - 4.0.3
Android - 7.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock your boot loader, flash twrp and install supersu to root. or you can also try dns66 to block ads, it works without root.
https://fossdroid.com/a/dns66.html
bonham1988 said:
Unlock your boot loader, flash twrp and install supersu to root. or you can also try dns66 to block ads, it works without root.
https://fossdroid.com/a/dns66.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm new to android, switched from ios. I'm not familiar with the terms, how would you do these? "Unlock your boot loader, flash twrp and install supersu to root."
Rob94 said:
I'm new to android, switched from ios. I'm not familiar with the terms, how would you do these? "Unlock your boot loader, flash twrp and install supersu to root."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here a guide https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/guide-how-to-root-oneplus-3t-unlock-t3544391
but if you just want Adblock, I'd suggest you try dns66 instead of root.
bonham1988 said:
here a guide https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-3t/how-to/guide-how-to-root-oneplus-3t-unlock-t3544391
but if you just want Adblock, I'd suggest you try dns66 instead of root.
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Click to collapse
I installed the adb program but where are the files? I'm stuck on this step 2:30 in the video.
Rob94 said:
I installed the adb program but where are the files? I'm stuck on this step 2:30 in the video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What files?
Sent from my OnePlus3T using XDA Labs
bonham1988 said:
What files?
Sent from my OnePlus3T using XDA Labs
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Click to collapse
I got past that part but now im stuck. I'm trying to install supersu but my computer isn't finding the oneplus 3t in my computer so I can't drag supersu to my phone to install it.
Part 8:47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwd31NU7VC0&feature=youtu.be
Everytime I plug in my phone I see this in device manager. Even though I install the ADB.
site to upload photos
I got it to work, just had to manually install MTP driver.
Could you help me find a guide for adblock install and in-app purchases?
Rob94 said:
Could you help me find a guide for adblock install and in-app purchases?
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Click to collapse
Google "AdAway XDA". The first result is the thread for the AdAway app.
And what do you mean in-app purchases? You install an app from the Play Store, tap the in-app button, add your gift card and/or credit/debit card (if required), buy.
If you're talking about circumvention, you are NOT going to get help here, AT ALL. This is not one of those places for that mess.
Rob94 said:
Could you help me find a guide for adblock install and in-app purchases?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ad block you don't need any guide. Just install the apk from f-droid. When you'll open the app it will prompt you to grant root access. Just click yes and you have to enable adblock from the app.
Sent from my OnePlus3T using XDA Labs
Rob94 said:
I'm new to android, switched from ios. I'm not familiar with the terms, how would you do these? "Unlock your boot loader, flash twrp and install supersu to root."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you are new here, and here is some friendly advice:
1) Search before you post! Most of the info you want, and probably ever want, is already on XDA. It's probably been asked and answered before, probably numerous times. There are a number of guides posted for basic things, like how to root. Just using the search function, or for that matter just browsing through the thread titles will often yield a lot of the info you are looking for. Also, there are resource threads like the Index at the top of the 3T "Guides, News & Discussion" section, which organizes a lot of the useful threads and other resources (with links). Be sure to take advantage of these threads "sticky" to the top of each section.
Only after you have done your due diligence, and can't find what you're looking for, should you make a new thread. If every person who was wondering "how to root" made a new thread asking that, this whole website would quickly become a cluttered, useless mess. The folks here are happy to provide help and try to answer your questions, but only after you've taken at least a little time to try to find the answer yourself.
2) You need to slow down and do some learning and reading. This is something you should have done before starting to do any of the steps toward root. Halfway down the phone modding rabbit hole is not the time to be asking questions like "how do I put the SuperSU zip on the phone".
I've been around here a long time, and modded/rooted a lot of devices. Even so, every time I get a new device, I spend at least an hour or two reading about the root methods (plus possible pitfalls, issues, etc.) for that specific device (as every one has it's own peculiarities and nuances). I simply can't fathom jumping into the root/mod process without this minimum due diligence.
3) Make sure you understand the meaning and implications of an unlocked bootloader, root, etc. There are benefits, and there are also risks. When someone comes on here asking the questions you are asking, what often comes to mind is that a person with that lack of knowledge has no business having root. This isn't to be mean, it's just a fact (at least as I see it).
Side note: I'm not a fan of YouTube guides. They have a place, in conjunction with (but not a replacement for) proper reading and understanding. Just following one of those videos, without doing any other learning, is going to get you in trouble. You'll only know enough to get yourself into a jam (which is inevitable if you play with these devices), without a clue of how to get out. Know (at a minimum) how to recover or get back to stock. Case in point, the linked video skipped what is to me, a critical step. You should always make a TWRP backup before flashing any mods like root or custom ROM. It's not technically a "requirement" but to me, its a must. This gives you an easy way out, if anything goes wrong (and it eventually will). Sure, there are other ways to recover. But the simple step of making a TWRP backup is one way, that doesn't require any additional downloads, tools, etc. It's simply a no-brainer to me, to do this.
Hello everyone,
I have to say I am completely lost regarding the whole rooting process for the XZ1C. I usually manage to get where I want just by carefully reading the forums, but with this device, I feel overwhelmed by information. And I sometimes feel like what I am reading contradicts what I though I understood from previous reads...
I will try to sum up what I know so far.
First of all, I have a just-out-of-the-box Sony model G8441 with firmware 47.1.A.12.179 / Oreo 8.0.0 (never been connected to the outside world yet), and I want to properly root the device and install TWRP with no loss of feature.
What I think I understand:
To root, I first need to unlock the bootloader, which seems to be a trivial operation. However, this will break some functionalities due to DRM keys being erased. Once it is done, there is no way, ever, to get them back. There are however ways to "trick" DRM-related functionalities into believing DRM keys are still there.
Alternatively, there seems to be a way to backup the DRM keys prior to unlocking the BL, and this backup can somehow be reused and injected back into the unlocked device. If true, then this would certainly be a preferable method than the previous one, which would then be obsolete. However, it obviously doesn't look obsolete when I read the related topics, so I must be missing something...
Another thing I noted (but do not quite understand): There are ROMs for this device that "include" a DRM fix.
Last important thing I read: there is a paid "do-it-all" tool which takes my locked device and, with one click, makes it unlocked - rooted - DRM-fixed - TWRP-enabled. Now that sounds really good! Maybe too good?
As far as i know (but I learn new stuff every day on this topic) this DRM stuff is the main difficulty here. I understand that the rest of the process (root + TWRP) will be much simpler (although I'm old-school and completly missed all this magisk trend...!)
What I don't understand:
I read that some people downgrade to Oreo to be able to root properly, and at the same time, I read that Pie removed the restrictions on unlocked bootloader. So I still have no idea if I should connect and receive Sony updates, or avoid them.
Another thing I don't get, is how many ways do we have to root this thing? In the past, I was used to see, for a specific device, always one major and widly used rooting method. Here I fail to identify it...
What I think I will do:
1. Backup TA partition with j4nn's tool. This will probably imply flashing an older firmware right? Is there any link that could help me with this flashing process? (I only know Odin - did I mention old-school?) I saw this page for generic sony Z devices, but the thread is from 2013 and now closed. Is it still up-to-date or is there a newer thread?
2. Unlock bootloader and restore TA partition.
3. Wait for Sony updates? Or should I first hide unlock status?
3bis. Alternaltively to waiting for updates, maybe I can just flash the latest build? (47.2.A.8.24 if I am not mistaken)
4. Flash modpunk's TWRP.
5. Flash janjan's Boot.img to get root functionalities?
Alternaltively to all the above (except maybe step 1 that I will probably do in any case), buy the paid all-in-one tool (Xperifix), plug, click and wait... But will I really end up the same as with the manual way?
I saw a few other methods in the forums but it seems my brain is currently refusing to bring them back...
That's all I have right now. I would really appreciate if you guys could share some insight and tell me what you think about this, whether there are missing steps, useless steps, incorrectly ordered steps, silly steps, or if I'm just completely wrong about the whole thing.
Feel free also to correct me on the assumptions I made at the beginning.
Thank you very much for reading this repulsive piece of text.
SunJu22 said:
I would really appreciate if you guys could share some insight and tell me what you think about this
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Click to collapse
By the looks of it you have done a great deal of research on the project.
Yes, go down the route of backing up your TA partition first, but that is not a small step in itself, it's pretty complicated and if you get that working then the rest of the project will be a breeze.
You don't say what version of firmware you want to end up on. If you want to end up on Pie then forget the DRMfix . But if you're staying on Oreo and can't be bothered with lots of files & flashing, then this is the easy way out, I bought the paid version and can verify it works.
More recently I ended up janjan's kernel (Oreo build). Hidden root (Google Pay works), lots of performance tweaks, DRM completely working.
It's unlikely that anyone will bother making a DRM fix for Pie as the camera works and there are only a couple of other features that get disabled.
It sounds like you're not the sort of person who's only going to read the first couple of pages of a thread (or the last) flash the xxxxxx and then complain when it's broken.
The people on the forum here are very helpful and if you go into any of the threads you mentioned in your post with a question, you'll get a reply.
Good luck.
I agree, there is a lot of information out there and different methods of achieving what you want - very confusing if you have not been following the threads since the beginning.
In my opinion, the preferred method is j4nn's method outlined here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/xp...devonly-exploits-temp-root-to-backup-t3795510
Use that post as your main guide (the final step in that guide, #13, is how you will achieve root). You will use Newflasher to flash the various firmwares along the way (this is linked from j4nn's procedure in step #2). User munted made a very detailed pdf file that fills in some of the details on j4nn's procedure - see the following post and download the pdf attached: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78255334&postcount=382
Most of the other methods out there came before j4nn's work - they didn't include DRM backup/restore.
If you follow j4nn's procedure, you won't need to use the janjan kernel as you assumed - janjan method is different and does not overlap with j4nn.
SunJu22 said:
Feel free also to correct me on the assumptions I made at the beginning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't point out that I was one of the early 'jumpers' who unlocked their bootloader without any backups, so I have been forced into always using fixes and all the information I have is based on having to fix your phone for it to work, but that's all changed now. I'm so out of date :-/
@camaro322hp is right, if you follow j4nn's method correctly you'll be rooted with no DRM loss. All of the other stuff is not required.
Thank you Digesteve and camaro322hp for your help.
From what I understand the XZ1C didn't get as much love as other devices, thus there was a long period of tinkering before a "do-it-all guide" could be considered "the" solution. That could explain all these different approaches that are proposed. Like you said camaro322hp it's rather difficult to jump on this train, and I can only guess how interesting this ride has been.
Anyway, I didn't see that the TA backup thread from j4nn also encompassed all the information I needed; I am glad to finally know that there is indeed a centralized "do-it-all guide" . To make it easier for XZ1C newcomers, I think j4nn should update his opening post to make this clearer.
Since I managed to grab the attention of 2 XZ1C power users, I would like to ask you: Did you keep stock? Did you try alternative ROMs? Do you like some of them? Do you prefer Oreo or Pie?
For information, the most up-to-date experience I have on a Android phone is my LG90 with CyanogenMod 11 (KitKat 4.4.4! Yes sir!). I heard that it's becoming less and less useful to flash a custom ROM due to major OS improvements, but I would still enjoy the simplest and lightest Android possible.
SunJu22 said:
Did you keep stock? Did you try alternative ROMs?
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Click to collapse
I've always been on stock, the camera is an important part of what I want from my phone and although there's lots of alternative camera apps, there's no competition to the stock camera app. Then I theme it black with swift installer and just uninstall or freeze any apps I don't want with Titanium Backup. I have stuck with Oreo, everything works perfect and I remember seeing so many people jumping to 9 then wanting to go back to 8 because they didn't like it. Something about changing the way the drop down menu works, among other things, but having never installed it, I'm not the person to comment on if it's any good or not.
I have been watching the XZ1c thread and Lineage is gaining ground, it even has a stock camera now. I would have thought something like that with miniGapps is going to be pretty lightweight and very similar to your carbon rom of before. At the moment this is based on 8, but is working well. Depends how keen you are to move to Pie.
Thank you Digesteve.
One thing I still don't understand. Part of the process is to hide unlock status. If I do this, FOTA will be applied and I will automatically end up on Pie, right? Should I skip this step if I want Oreo?
EDIT: when you say "a stock camera", you mean the Sony camera?
@SunJu22 I've stuck with the Sony ROM. A rooted stock ROM meets all my needs, so I've never felt the need to experiment with custom ROMs. There are some custom options out there that people seem fairly happy with, so if that's your thing, I'd encourage it.
Without going into too much detail, I'm still on Oreo for the moment, for a variety of reasons, but I don't know of anything that would keep me from recommending Pie.
One thing you should note is that once you unlock, there is no going back. AFAIK there is no known or working method to relock the bootloader.
SunJu22 said:
FOTA will be applied and I will automatically end up on Pie, right? Should I skip this step if I want Oreo?
EDIT: when you say "a stock camera", you mean the Sony camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm not entirely sure why having your rooted phone try and update itself is an advantage, but something I'd recomend avoiding.
Stock camera is the Sony camera, yes.
Thank you everyone, I believe I now have enough information to jump into this with confidence. The adventure begins, and will be reported in this thread for future reference, in the hope that it will help others like me!
Well, I am a bit sad... I wanted to report my "adventure" here in detail, but I'm afraid I have nothing to say.
Indeed, following the procedure from j4nn with a printed copy of munted's awesome guide, I managed to do all I wanted on the first attempt.
I don't have anything to add to this guide, everyone wanting to root their XZ1C can do it just by reading the opening post from j4nn and the mentioned guide. It takes a bit of time but nothing complicated thanks to the clear and detailed explanations.
I now have a fully functional rooted XZ1C (including camera) on Pie with Magisk root and TWRP.
Thank you all again from pointing me to the right direction.
I however have a slight disappointment. I wanted to start with Oreo and make an Nandroid backup before moving to Pie, but I didn't find Oreo builds on Xperifirm. So I jumped straight to Pie.
In case I want to test Oreo, I read that a downgrade is more complicated than an upgrade, but apart from the fact that a factory reset is needed for downgrade, I couldn't find an explanation for this. Any idea?
Last but not least: I looked for the latest Oreo build version number but couldn't find it. Do you guys know what it is and where I can download it?
I guess this will be all for this thread after this. Although it is very convenient to have my own thread to ask questions rather than finding the relevant page for each one, I don't want to annoy you too much...
EDIT: Please ignore the last question. I found out last Oreo build is 47.1.A.16.20, and I found the files via the download link in the opening post of the Lineage thread.
SunJu22 said:
In case I want to test Oreo, I read that a downgrade is more complicated than an upgrade, but apart from the fact that a factory reset is needed for downgrade, I couldn't find an explanation for this. Any idea? Lineage thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an easy solution to downgrade:
Newflasher
Hi, I've been thinking about rooting my XZ1c for a long time now. So, do I understand correctly that the ONLY disadvantage compared to non-rooted device is not possible to receive the OTA updates from Sony anymore?
mEREHAIGE said:
Hi, I've been thinking about rooting my XZ1c for a long time now. So, do I understand correctly that the ONLY disadvantage compared to non-rooted device is not possible to receive the OTA updates from Sony anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can flash a kernel to hide the bootloader unlock flag, this will mean that you will receive OTA updates, although depending on how you're rooted an update will most likely break your phone, so not that useful.
*made a thread*
Thanks--rooted withOUT adventure too
Very happily rooted now. Just wanted to say a quick thanks and add a few notes:
1. j4nn's renoroot to enable TA key backup and restore is fantastic. My advice: use and donate
2. munted's guide is excellent. clear and thorough...a rare combination.
3. do expect that renoroot may need to be restarted a couple of times. it took me 3 or 4 attempts to get temp root to pull the TA keys, although it took only 1 effort to get root back to restore.
4. topjohnwu's magisk is, of course, a key component to all this. Thx and $s there too.
I did a few things slightly differently/additionally than SunJu22.
5. I am on T-Mobile US, so I opted to create a hybrid Pie FW to get wifi calling and VoLTE. There are a number of discussions on this. I did it by combining the vendor**.sin and system**.sin files from custom-CH FW with the other files from custom-US FW. Of course (a) use IDENTICAL release numbers only, e.g. 47.A.2.10.28 w/ 47.A.2.10.28 and (b) you still need to delete .TA and persist files from the hybrid before you flash it.
Note: I don't really care about these features, but I have *heard* that T-mobile won't allow BYOD on their band-12 sites if they don't have VoLTE. Don't know if it is true (or where it is true) but figured why not?
6. I decided (for now, at least) to leave boot and recovery stock. So, I am using fastboot to run TWRP or a rooted kernel. Thanks again to j4nn for the method.
Note: I don't plan on allowing FOTA upgrades---I just like passing all the security checks and being able to *see* if updates are available.
That's all. Fine work in development and guides has made life simple and happy for me
kirkzp said:
Very happily rooted now. Just wanted to say a quick thanks and add a few notes:
1. j4nn's renoroot to enable TA key backup and restore is fantastic. My advice: use and donate
2. munted's guide is excellent. clear and thorough...a rare combination.
3. do expect that renoroot may need to be restarted a couple of times. it took me 3 or 4 attempts to get temp root to pull the TA keys, although it took only 1 effort to get root back to restore.
4. topjohnwu's magisk is, of course, a key component to all this. Thx and $s there too.
I did a few things slightly differently/additionally than SunJu22.
5. I am on T-Mobile US, so I opted to create a hybrid Pie FW to get wifi calling and VoLTE. There are a number of discussions on this. I did it by combining the vendor**.sin and system**.sin files from custom-CH FW with the other files from custom-US FW. Of course (a) use IDENTICAL release numbers only, e.g. 47.A.2.10.28 w/ 47.A.2.10.28 and (b) you still need to delete .TA and persist files from the hybrid before you flash it.
Note: I don't really care about these features, but I have *heard* that T-mobile won't allow BYOD on their band-12 sites if they don't have VoLTE. Don't know if it is true (or where it is true) but figured why not?
6. I decided (for now, at least) to leave boot and recovery stock. So, I am using fastboot to run TWRP or a rooted kernel. Thanks again to j4nn for the method.
Note: I don't plan on allowing FOTA upgrades---I just like passing all the security checks and being able to *see* if updates are available.
That's all. Fine work in development and guides has made life simple and happy for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now riddle me this cause I'm on Tmo USA as well and I did the hybrid work fine as well but heres the question, does googlepay and banking apps still work with a unlocked bootloader or did you flash a modified kernel to hide the unlocked status.
Sitting on the fence about unlocking mine so I can do a full nandroid before trying out some gsi pie roms infact this is the first phone I haven't unlocked or least put twrp on since my samsung sidekick 4g o.o
kernel with hide-unlock
T_Tank said:
Now riddle me this cause I'm on Tmo USA as well and I did the hybrid work fine as well but heres the question, does googlepay and banking apps still work with a unlocked bootloader or did you flash a modified kernel to hide the unlocked status.
Sitting on the fence about unlocking mine so I can do a full nandroid before trying out some gsi pie roms infact this is the first phone I haven't unlocked or least put twrp on since my samsung sidekick 4g o.o
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full disclosure: I don't use Google pay or too many banking apps, so YMMV. But, I am using j4nn's kernel with unlock hidden. (See link in my note 6.) You can flash this, or you can leave in your stock kernel and merely fastboot to this. From what I have seen, it hides most - if not all -- indicators that the phone is rooted and the BL in unlocked.
Does somebody has :
G8441_1310-7123_47.1.A.16.20-R7B_Customized_CE1.ftf ?
Only backup i did not make, and its gone from XperiFirm.
Still have the feeling battery life was better in Oreo, and would be nice for experimenting.
Would be nice.
Thanks in advance.
Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.
paul_cherma said:
Hey there guys,
I just received my s21 ultra (G998B) and planning to root it. I had a few questions since I’m new to this and wanted some clarifications:
1) If I root the phone can I update it OTA through the settings or do I have to update it by another method? Will I lose root/data/apps if I do that?
2) If I lose root when updating it, can I just root again and be all set? Or do I have to follow another procedure for that?
3) I am planning to debloat a few apps and services that I won’t be using, if I update the system/software will the stuff that I debloated come back and will I have to do the debloat again?
Thank you for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- Probably not usually the root or recovery will block OTA updates from installing, even if they download.
2- If you lose root, you can USUALLY re-root assuming the same root method wasnt patched. If it was patched, a new root method (though probably still through magisk) will be needed. If this is the case, its up to the dev to find that method, you might be without root for a while.
3-if you debloat, and receive an OTA, your will probably need to de-bloat again, thought I havent personally had experience with this.
Why are you rooting? Just to de-bloat? If so, root isn't really necessary...
As someone who's been in the rooting stage for many years, i can answer your questions.
1. You can not update your phone through OTA updates after rooting the device, as the device was modified in an unauthorized way. And since you own a galaxy phone, the e-fuse within the motherboard will blow and knox will be permanently blown. You can no longer use samsung pay, google pay, and any other app that uses the safetynet api, even after you unroot the device.
2. You will lose root every time you update. You will need ODIN on your PC in order to properly update your firmware and to re-root your device by following the procedure again that you used to root your device, unless samsung patched the method you used to root your device. You can always check what bootloader version you're on within the firmware. For example, on the galaxy S8, the firmware version is N950U1UES5CRG9. The 5th to last number of the firmware will tell you. In this case, N950U1UES5CRG9 is the 5th bootloader version. Keep this in mind once samsung starts to update your phone often.
3. You will have to debloat again from scratch. In order to fully update your device through ODIN, you need to download the full firmware file containing an AP (Firmware), BL (Bootloader) , CP (Modem), and CSC (Carrier File) and manually flash them.
Do keep in mind, it is possible to soft brick or even hard brick your device, so back up your data frequently if you decide to tinker with your device.
Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.
paul_cherma said:
Thank you for the detailed answer. I just updated my software to the latest official one by Samsung (April 1st security patch) but I am not rooted yet. I guess I could live with the fact that I can root the phone now and stay on this software version/security patch until I upgrade, since I would have to go through a lot of hassle to set-up the phone the way I wanted. But the main reason why I want to get the official updates is because of the camera improvements that Samsung does, since the main reason of me getting this phone is the camera. And there are some root-required tweaks that I absolutely need such as Viper, and some xposed tweaks also. I like the Stock ROM of Samsung, it really has come a long way at least imo throughout the years, as I have been a Samsung user since day 1 but:
Would it be a good idea to install a custom ROM then? I am reading the description of a few custom ROMs and it seems like I can “retain everything” by simply dirty flashing the ROM and following the dev’s instructions on how to retain root whenever the developer updates it. Is that a better route to take you think? I can keep my device rooted, and still get the updates through a custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.
HighOnLinux said:
That really varies depending on the custom rom you go for. Usually when you dirty flash a rom, you would need to re root your device, but some (not all) roms are persistent with root after system updates. Do keep in mind if you switch to a custom rom, your system might be more buggy and crash more often. One thing i will say though is that xposed is outdated. The last android version xposed officially supported was either 8 or 9. When it has to come down to certain mods you'd wish to have with root, take that into consideration too, as it might make your device really unstable if it's too outdated or if there's a buggy port available. I've dealt with that issue too many times on my phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?
Twodordan said:
if xposed is outdated, what is the new thing the comunity is migrating to? All the privacy, security, and customizability tools available through xposed must go somewhere, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.
HighOnLinux said:
There's buggy ports thats flashable on magisk. While you still can get xposed, it'll be an unofficial version, and more likely to run into issues within your rom and daily use into your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean xprivacy on xposed was the must have killer feature for any android device to turn your device into anything other than a privacy nightmare. If we can't do that any more we are f'd.
[EDIT] Looks like the new version of xprivacy, xprivacyLua is still supported for android 11, with magisk and EdXposed or LSPosed:
[CLOSED][APP][XPOSED][6.0+] XPrivacyLua - Android privacy manager [UNSUPPORTED]
XPrivacyLua Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later (successor of XPrivacy). Revoking Android permissions from apps often let apps crash or malfunction. XPrivacyLua solves this by feeding apps fake data...
forum.xda-developers.com
XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
Really simple to use privacy manager for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later - XPrivacyLua/README.md at master · M66B/XPrivacyLua
github.com